Sheet-metal box or tray.



R. F. HAMILTON & D. LIPSICH.

SHEET METAL BOX 0R TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18. I912. RENEWED JUNE 16, I915.

Patented July 27, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

R. F. HAMILTON & D. LIPSICH.

SHEET METAL BOX 0R TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18. 1912. RENEWED mm: 16, 1915.

1,148,015. Patented July 27,1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

R. F. HAMILTON & D. LIPSICH.

SHEET METAL BOX 0R TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18, 1912. RENEWED JUNE 16. 1915.

Patented July 27, 1915.

iii: 4

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (IO-.WASHXNGTON. D. c.

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RICHARD F. HAMILTON AND DAVID LIPSIOH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.; SAID LIPSICH ASSIGNOR. TO SAID HAMILTON.

SHEET-METAL BOX OR TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27,1915.

Application filedDeoember 18, 1912, Serial No. 737,549. Renewed June 16, 1915. Serial No. 34,561.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RICHARD F. HAMIL- TON and DAVID LIISICH, citizens of the United States of America, residing at New York city, borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, and New York city, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Metal Boxes or Trays, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to metal receptacles for holding and carrying bottles and the like. Boxes or trays of this kind having two series of. partitions arranged at right angles to form one or two dozen compartments for the reception of bottles containing beer, mineral water and the like, have heretofore usually been made of wood. These are destructible and are frequently stolen or appropriated for kindling wood and other pur poses in the cities, and the owners names scraped off. We have invented a box or tray of this character which is made solely of sheet metal without rivets or stiffening rods, and is yet strong and compact, together with a rack for supporting and separating the bottles.

The best forms of our invention at present known to us are illustrated in the accompanying three sheets of drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a general plan of the box, with parts broken away and shown in section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of one of the longitudinally extending strips forming the compartments in the box. Fig. 4 is a similar view of one of the transversely extending strips, and Figs. 5 and 6 show modifications.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts.

The shell of the box is preferably formed of two sections of sheet metal, such as galvanized iron or sheet steel or tin plate. Each of [such sections 1 and 2 is bent at right angles so as to form one end and one side of the box and the abutting ends are soldered or welded, or otherwise fastened together. In one form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the upper edge of each sheet is bent inwardly and downwardly and outwardly to form the semicircular bead 3, and the horizontally extending flange 4 below the same. This construction stiifens the top of the box and also, as the hand hole 5 in each end of the box is formed adjacent to the lower flange 4:, such flange and bead form a finished handle to be grasped by the hand of the person who lifts the box, inserted through the hand hole. A portion of the metal 23, stamped out to form the hand hole 5 may be folded into flange 4:, as shown in Fig. 2. Each of the metal sheets is bent inwardly and upwardly and backwardly along the bottom to form the bottom ledge or flange 6, a slot being leftbetween the inner edge of this flange and the shell of the box. The metal sheets are also bent inwardly along a line extending around the box, preferably approximately half way between the top and the bottom, to form a V- shaped rib 7, which projects inwardly. This rib serves to further stiffen the box and also affords convenient means for attachment of the inner rack hereinafter to be described.

lVhile the above described construction is recommended by us in cases wherein heavy and stiff metal sheets can be used, we find that when metal sheets of such thickness as to be easily bent are used, the bead 3 and flange 6 are too easily indented and when such lightermaterial is used we prefer the form shown in Fig. 6. In such case the top of the metal sheets forming the sides and ends of the box are reinforced by a bent strip 24 of much heavier metal which is clamped thereon and has a horizontally projecting flange 25. The portion of metal 23 stamped out to form the hand hole in the end of the box may lie up along the under side of the horizontal flange 25 in a manner similar to that described and shown in Fig. 4c with reference to flange 4:. In this form of our invention the bottom portion of the metal sheets forming the box are bent into the S-form shown at 26, or other convenient form to receive and hold a strip of heavy metal 27 bent into 'U-shaped cross-section to form a shoe on which the box rests.

In the form shown in Fig. 5, the semicircular bead around the top of the box is also employed as shown at 30, but it is dropped below the upper edge of the box somewhat, and the doubled portion 31 of the 'metal forms a guard to partly protect the bead from blows delivered by objects falling on top of the box. At the bottom, a doubled strip of sheet metal 32 is shown inserted in one recess of the S-shaped cross section into which the lower edges of the sheets forming the box walls are again bent.

The rack used with all of these forms of box-like shell formed by the assembling of sections 1 and 2 is composed of a series of longitudinally extending partition strips 8, 8, and another series of transversely extending partition strips 9, 9. One series of strips, as 8, 8, are slotted inwardly from one edge, as at 14, and the other series of strips 9, 9, are correspondingly slotted inwardly from their other edges, as at 15. Then the two sets of strips are interlocked by slipping the slotted portions together a series of compartments are formed between these partitions in the well known manner, and if the strips 8 and 9 are properly fastened together a rack is formed thereby. To conveniently fasten the strips together and also serve the purposes hereafter to be pointed out, we bend the upper and lower edges of the strips 8 and 9 to form horizontally extending flanges on either side, 10 being the top flange and 11 the bottom flange in each strip. The ends of the strips 8, 8, are cut and bent to form the short laterally extending flanges 18, 18, and the outwardly extending lugs 12, which latter consist of projecting portions of the metal which has been bent to form the top flange. 10. In the same way flanges 19 and outwardly projecting lugs 21 are formed on the strips 9. The projecting portions of the strips 8, 8, which have been folded over to form the bottom flange 11, are bent downwardly at right angles to form lugs 13 and similar lugs at the bottom of strips 9, 9, are formed as shown at 22. The flanges of the strips 8 and 9, which are cut in producing the slots 14 and 15, are bent outwardly, as shown, to form the short lugs 16 and 17. The uncut flanges of these strips 8 and 9 are slotted to receive these lugs 16 and 17 when the strips are assembled, and interlocked to form the rack. The ends of the lugs are then'bent over, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to clench the parts together. The dotted circles 20, 20, represent the outline of bottles or other cylindrical objects set in the compartments in the rack in the tray or. box.

The mode of making and using our invention is as follows: The strips 8 and 9, forming the partitions, being interlocked and clenched together, as above described, to form the rack, are placed in the box or shell formed by assembling the two sheet metal sections 1 and 2. The upper outwardly projecting lugs 12 and 21 are passed through slots formed in the apex of the V-shaped rib 7 and bent or spread outwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, to clench the connection and the bottom lugs 13 and 22 are hooked over the ledge 6 or equivalent construction shown in other figures of drawing at the bottom of the box, thus securely fastening the rack in position in the shell or box. The bottom flanges 11 of the strips are made wide enough, as shown in Fig. 1, to extend part way under the bottoms of the bottles or other circular objects placed in the compartments and support the same. The top flanges 10 are bent downwardly at the points 50 intermediate of the intersections of the strips 8 and 9, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so as to form an approximately circular upper opening for the compartments into which the bottles may fit.

The advantages of our invention comprise its lightness, stiffness and durability resulting from the fact that it is made wholly of sheet metal bent and folded so as to produce stiffening means and ample interlocking portions. There are no metal rods to rust or produce friction which will wear through the adjacent metal sheet. The bottom flange or ledge 6, or shoes 27 and 32 form a smooth stiff rib upon which the box may be freely shoved around on the floor without catching or bending and this, together with the top bead or metal reinforcement and flange and the intermediate V- shaped rib give the box ample stiffness against twisting and bending strains.

Having described our invention we claim:

1. An interlocking set of metal strips for dividing a box into a series of compartments which strips are slotted so as to interlock one with another, and have their upper and lower edges bent at right angles to form flanges, one flange of each strip being slotted at each junction point and the corresponding flange of the crossing strip being cut and bent to enter said slots, whereby the two sets may be fastened together by bending over the portions projecting through said slots.

2. A sheet metal box for carrying bottles and the like formed without a bottom, but having longitudinally and transversely extending partitions formed of interlocking metal strips, said strips being folded along their lower edges to form horizontally extending flanges on either side which extend part wayunder the bottoms of the bottles set in the compartments formed by said partitions, said strips having the flanges alon their upper edges reduced in width by bending downward at points intermediate of the intersections, whereby an approximately circular upper opening is formed for each compartment.

3. A rack formed of two sets of strips cut part Way through to permit them to interlock, said strips having their edges bent over to form horizontal flanges, the flanges on the uncut side of each strip being slotted in line with the cut on the other side, and the out ends of the flange on the out side of each strip being bent outwardly to engage the 10 slots in the adjacent flange of the other strip When the strips are assembled to form the rack.

RICHARD F. HAMILTON. DAVID LIPSICH. Witnesses:

H. PARKER SMITH, M. G. CRAWFORD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

